Some Kinda Love
by ApothecaryJane
Summary: Harlow Tully enters Eden Hall on a ballet scholarship and quickly finds herself wrapped up in the world of the Mighty Ducks hockey team. Portman/OC.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** So I've had this story written for a couple of years and thought that I would post it and see what people thought. It's not finished yet, but, if it proves interesting enough for people, I'm sure I can find the motivation to finish it.

 **Disclaimer:** Obviously, I don't own _the Mighty Ducks_. All I own are the original characters.

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 **Prologue**

"Mail call!" For the tenth day in a row, Harlow abandoned the setting of the dining room table and high-tailed it to the kitchen counter. "I think it's actually here today." Her father, George, said, pulling a large white envelope free from the pile of mail. Harlow reached for it, but her father held it high above her head. "How bad do you want it?" He teased. Harlow rolled her eyes and jumped up to snatch the envelope from his hand.

"Don't be a jerk, dad." Even though the envelope was now in her hands, Harlow hesitated to open it.

"Well…?" He dad prompted.

"I'm nervous." She admitted. "It's a big envelope; that's a good sign," She glanced nervously towards her father, "Right?"

"Rejection letters tend to be small and light." He assured her. Biting her lower lip, Harlow finally tore into the envelope. Cautiously, she pulled a dark maroon packet free; with equal caution, Harlow opened the packet.

"Congratulations!" She read with a squeal, immediately beginning to jump up and down. Her father watched her with amusement.

"See? I told you that you were worrying over nothing." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "I'm proud of you Harley girl." Harlow grinned up at him.

"Thanks dad. I'm gonna go call Penny." She raced towards the stairs.

"What about the setting of the table?" Her dad called after her. Harlow stopped in her tracks and turned around, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Oh yeah." They locked eyes for a moment with Harlow biting on her lower lip in a pleading manner. Her dad finally sighed and waved her off.

"Go." Harlow grinned triumphantly.

"Thanks dad!" She dashed upstairs and into her room before he could change his mind. Harlow grabbed the phone off of the hook, dialed Penny and then flung herself onto her bed. She was grateful for the phone in her room, even though it wasn't a separate line.

" _Ferguson residence; Cathy speaking."_

"Hey Mrs. Ferguson, it's Harlow."

" _Oh, hi Harlow. How are you?"_

"I'm good. Can I please talk to Penny?"

" _Of course."_ As Cathy called for Penny, Harlow picked up the maroon envelope and grinned again. She was beyond thrilled. She held the phone against her ear and opened the packet. Her eyes scanned the 'congratulations' page before turning to the page that held the rules for keeping her full scholarship. She could handle it.

" _Did you get it?"_ Penny asked instead of a greeting.

"I got it." Harlow confirmed.

" _And….?"_

"And I got in!" The two girls squealed.

" _Oh my God! I am so excited! You're going to love it."_

"I have no doubt. I wonder who I'll be sharing a room with."

" _Probably other girls there on sports scholarships. There aren't many."_

"Do you know any of them?"

" _I know one of them. Her name is Connie. I had English with her last year."_

"Is she in ballet?"

" _No, hockey."_

"I didn't even know girls could play hockey."

" _We have a couple of them, you know, including Connie. The other one scares me. They call her Cat, but I can't remember what her real name is. Honestly I try to avoid her. Not that I socialize with the hockey players. It's such a brutal sport."_ Harlow shrugged to herself. She was ambivalent about hockey. Penny let out another squeal; Harlow giggled as she twirled the phone cord around her fingers. _"You're going to love Eden Hall. There are_ _so_ _many seriously good looking guys there, it's crazy."_ Harlow giggled again.

"I'm going for ballet and a good education, not for boys."

" _Boo. You're 15 years old and you have yet to even kiss a boy."_

"Hey!" Harlow exclaimed indignantly. "I kissed Tommy Canaan in third grade."

" _A quick, giggle-filled kiss behind the jungle gym in third grade doesn't count."_

"A kiss is a kiss." Harlow protested. "And besides, once again, my priority is ballet and maintaining a 3.0 GPA."

" _I'm sure you'll do just fine."_

"Harley! Dinner's here!" Harlow sat up. She directed a 'be right there!' to her dad; into the phone she said,

"Penny, I gotta go."

" _Alright. Can we hang out tomorrow?"_

"No, I promised my dad I'd help out at the shop."

" _Boo, that place is so dirty."_

"It's a garage that fixes motorcycles. Do you expect it to be flawlessly clean?"

" _No. Alright, well call me when you're done playing secretary."_

"I will. Bye." Harlow hung up the phone and launched herself from her bed. Taking one last glance at the packet from Eden Hall, she headed downstairs and into the dining room. She was greeted by the smell of KFC. She sighed.

"Really mom, KFC again?" Her mother, Claudia, pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips.

"It's the only restaurant I drive by on my way home." Harlow sent her a look.

"Mom, I know for a fact that you pass a McDonald's." Her mother wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"I hate French fries." Harlow rolled her eyes as she sat down and reached for the salad.

"You have to be the only person in all of America that hates French fries. And you don't have to get French fries."

"Oh eat your KFC and be happy."

"Tell her your good news." Her father prompted; her mother looked at her.

"What good news?"

"I heard back from Eden Hall today." Her mother's eyes lit up.

"And…?" Harlow couldn't stop a smile from coming over her face.

"I got in!"

"Oh my God!" Claudia shoved herself away from the table to rush over and hug her daughter.

"Mom you're choking me." Harlow was released.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so excited! Congratulations!" Claudia put her daughter in another death grip hug.

"Mom!"

"Sorry, sorry." Claudia retreated to her seat. "I'm so proud of you, but I'm not surprised at all. I knew you'd get in." Harlow rolled her eyes.

"Sure you did."

"I did."

"Uh-huh."

"When do you start?"

"September 16th is the first day of classes, but I can move in as early as the 9th." Her mother frowned.

"Move in?"

"You know Eden Hall is a boarding school, Claudia." George stated.

"Well yes, but I thought that was only for out of town students." Harlow shook her head as she reluctantly reached for a piece of chicken.

"Nope. All students stay on school premises. I can go home on the weekends though."

"Oh. But what about your yoga classes? You're supposed to be taking over for Shannon while she's on maternity leave."

"I leave school after it's over for the day mom plus I can still cover her classes 'cause they're on the weekend."

"And she'll work at the garage on weekday afternoons." George added.

"Except for when I have ballet stuff." Harlow pointed out.

"Except for when you have ballet stuff." George echoed.

"See? It'll all work out."

"I still don't like the idea of you living at a boarding school." Claudia shifted in her seat as she played with her mashed potatoes. "I mean it seems so…so…cold. I could never understand how rich people could send their children to schools in Europe."

"Mom, I'm still going to be in the same city. Who's talking about Europe?"

"And won't there be boys living at this school too?"

"Yes, Claudia." George drawled. "Boys will be living there, but in their own separate dorm. I'm sure the school has a teacher or matron or whatever patrolling the dorms at night. And besides our Harley girl isn't the type of girl to get herself into trouble with a boy."

"It's not Harlow I'm worried about." Claudia muttered glumly. "It's the potential for crazy, hormone-driven boys who listen to hair metal and get into fights." Harlow couldn't stop a snort and giggle from escaping.

"Mom, come on, I am so _not_ into guys who go around bashing people into walls."

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 **Author's Note:** Reviews are most welcome as is constructive criticism! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews. This is still a work in progress and I'm open to suggestions.**

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"I still don't see why you had to come Gable." Her older brother grinned widely at her as he carried her trunk towards her dorm room.

"'Cause I wanted to see where my baby sister is going to be living for the next six months." He replied enthusiastically, ruffling her brown pixie cut. "Why couldn't you do this when I was still living at home?" Harlow nudged his shoulder as she dodged his hand.

"Shut up."

"Don't say that." Claudia snapped edgily. The three other Tully's shared a look. Mother Tully was not taking her daughter moving out well. George reached over to give his wife's shoulder a squeeze and reassuring smile – not that it made a difference.

"What room are you in again?" Her dad asked, deciding a subject change was in order. Harlow glanced at the scrap of paper in her hand.

"Um 4." She replied. They had just passed room 3; room 4 was at the end of the hall and across from the bathroom. "There it is." The group of four stopped at the closed door.

"Well?" Gable prompted when Harlow didn't move. Tentatively, Harlow knocked. Gable rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Harlow, it's your room too. You don't have to knock." He shouldered his way past her and into the room. It was empty. Gable sent his sister a look to which she blushed and rushed further into the room to avoid his taunting eyes.

It was a decent sized room with two windows overlooking a small grass field before another building blocked further view. There were three twin sized beds: one against the wall near the door, the other across from it and the third was on the other end of the room, near the closet. There were three desks: one next to an old arm chair on the wall that housed the windows while the other two were on the same side as the room with a mini-fridge resting between them. As her dad flicked on the light, Harlow made out one final detail – a huge duffle bag on the floor next to the bed that was near the door. One of her roommates was already there. This made Harlow both excited and terrified.

"It's nice." George commented politely.

"It's small." Claudia sniffed.

"Oh, hello." All four Tully's turned to the door where a girl around Harlow's age now stood, a back pack slung over her shoulders. "You must be our new roommate." This was directed at Harlow who nodded.

"That would be me. I'm Harlow Tully." The two girls met halfway and shook hands.

"Connie Moreau." Connie's eyes flickered towards her family and Harlow quickly introduced all of them. "Nice to meet you." A slightly awkward silence descended over the room.

"Well, your stuff's all here." Gable announced loudly. "So we should get going." George was quick to nod in agreement, but Claudia was less enthusiastic.

"But we only just arrived. She isn't even settled in yet." She whined. Connie and Harlow shared an eye roll and smile which helped Harlow to relax. They were getting along!

"Mom, I'll be fine. Look, I'm not even alone. So you can go knowing I'm in good hands."

"She'll be fine." Connie agreed. "I promise I'll keep an eye on her."

"See?" George said as he began leading Claudia towards the door. "She's got a friend already."

"She's going to be fine, mom." Gable concurred.

"Well if you're sure you'll be okay…"

"I'm sure." Harlow confirmed swiftly.

"Well okay." Claudia was still reluctant and having to be pushed out the door by George.

"Call us later Harley girl. Nice meeting you Connie."

"Bye dad." Harlow moved to the door, more than ready to close it on her family, but Gable lingered in the doorway, surveying the room and its occupants one final time. When he was done, he reached out and ruffled his sister's short hair again.

"Have fun kiddo and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That's an awfully short list, Gabe." Harlow remarked dryly.

"This is true. Never mind, forget that. Just steer clear of boys."

"That's going to be kind of hard since I'll be going to school with them every day." Gable sent her a look.

"You know what I mean. Nice meeting you Connie. Later." Connie and Harlow both waved good bye as he left, closing the door behind him.

"He's interesting." Connie commented lightly. Harlow knew that 'interesting' really meant 'charmingly cute'. Every girl thought Gable was cute up until they got to know him; then they realized what an idiot he was. They still liked hanging around him, but he stopped being cute and started being more like a brother.

"Yeah, he's a ham." Connie started to go through her backpack that was now resting on her bed.

"So you're here on a sports scholarship aren't you?"

"How'd you guess?" Harlow asked as she started to go through her trunk which Gable had dropped at the foot of her chosen bed (the one near the closet).

"This is what the other girls in the dorm call Spoship room because apparently only girls on sports scholarships get put in here." At the look on Harlow's face, Connie rolled her eyes. "I know, Spoship is a dumb name, but it's been around for awhile so we're stuck with it."

"Ahhh."

"So what's your game? Basketball? Volleyball? I know it's not hockey."

"No," Harlow laughed, "Not hockey. Ballet." Connie raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Wow, a ballerina. I didn't see that coming at all."

"In a good or bad way?"

"Oh good way for sure." Connie sent her a smile. Harlow let out the breath she'd been holding.

"How'd you know I wasn't here on a hockey scholarship?" Harlow asked as she hung up her dresses in the small closet.

"Because I'm on the hockey team. I would've heard about it." Suddenly it occurred to Harlow who this 'Connie' was.

"You must be the Connie my friend Penny told me about." Connie frowned.

"Penny?"

"Ferguson? You had English with her last year?"

"Oh yeah, Penny Ferguson. You're friends with her?" Harlow nodded, turning from the closet. She was glad that she had only brought three dresses. The closet wasn't very big and she didn't want to hog the space.

"Yeah, we've been best friends since first grade."

"That's a long time."

"Yeah. So you play hockey?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't you scared of getting hurt?" Connie shrugged.

"Not really. Anyway I have the guys to look out for me. Plus I'm tougher than I look." They shared a laugh. "You'll get to meet everyone because they're always randomly dropping by – usually for help on their homework. You'll _definitely_ get to meet Julie and soon. She's our other roommate." Harlow worried at her lower lip.

"Would that be Julie the 'Cat'?" Connie 'mmhmmed'. "Oh." Connie sent her a funny look; Harlow flushed. "Sorry, it's just that Penny said the 'Cat' was…" She searched for the right word. "…intimidating." Connie laughed at that.

"Penny's just scared of her because they had a run in in the lunch line. Julie was having a really bad day so she was grumpy and snapped at Penny when Penny spilled her water on Julie's sleeve. And no offense, but Penny's kind of jumpy." Now it was Harlow's turn to laugh. Penny was easily scared. "I promise, Julie's really nice."

"Unless she's had a rough day."

"Unless she's had a rough day." Connie repeated; they laughed. "So, I have to ask, do you have a boyfriend?" Harlow shook her head as she dug through her trunk for her practice clothes and slippers.

"No. You?"

"Yeah. His name is Guy."

"Does he play hockey too?" Connie nodded.

"We're on the same team."

"Is that allowed?"

"We don't really care." Harlow couldn't think of anything to say to that so she remained silent. Finally finding her practice clothes, she excused herself to the bathroom to change.

When she came back, Connie was putting on some rollerblades.

"I'm supposed to meet the guys at the park. You can tag along if you want." But Harlow shook her head.

"No thanks. I want to check out where I'm going to be studying ballet for the next three years of my life and get in some barre time."

"I have no idea what that is, but okay." Connie stood up. "Have fun. See you later."

"Bye." Harlow watched her skate off. She herself had never skated a day in her life – either on ice or concrete. She was always scared that she'd fall, twist an ankle, and never be able to do ballet again. Silly? Maybe, but it was a fear that had stuck with her. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Harlow left the room in search of her new ballet studio.

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 **Author's Note: Definitely starting to get more involved with the Ducks now! Hope you enjoyed! Reviews always welcome as is constructive criticism.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay in posting this latest posting this latest chapter, but I recently returned to school so it's taking me a bit of time to get used to balancing school and personal writing. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, those who favorited/followed the story, and to anyone just enjoying it as they come across it.**

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Julie arrived the day before school officially started and Harlow didn't see her as threatening at all. Penny, who was spending all her time with her new boyfriend, said she was crazy. Julie was tall and confident, but her smile was warm. She and Harlow took to each other just as quickly as Harlow and Connie had. The only "issue" – if it could be called that at all – was that Julie did found it hilarious that Harlow was a ballerina.

"Are you sure I'll never get to see you in a pink, frilly tutu?" Harlow rolled her eyes. That particular question had been posed at least four times since Connie had found out she was a ballerina.

"For the last time: not any time soon." Connie giggled as Julie put on a mocking pout. "You only wear fancy things like frilly tutus when you're in a production. Since I'm the new kid on the block I'll probably get stuck as a chorus girl." Julie shrugged.

"You never know. We were the new kids on the block last year and we beat the Varsity team."

"Not to take away from your triumph, but there's a lot less prima donna drama in hockey than ballet. You'd be surprised at the nasty way some of the ballerinas can act. It can be downright deadly."

"I didn't know ballet could be so cutthroat." Connie grinned.

"You laugh, but believe it." Harlow walked to the window near her bed. School started tomorrow and she was starting to have butterflies. Spending time in her dorm with Connie and Julie was one thing; walking into a new school full of students was quite another. She hadn't even met the other ballet students yet. Sensing her unease, Connie got off of her bed and came to stand beside Harlow at the window.

"Nervous?" Harlow nodded. "Don't be. It'll be fine."

"Yeah," Julie agreed as she joined them at the window. "You have your first class with Connie and two classes with me and you have your friend Penny so…." Julie broke off with a muttered 'oh my God'. Connie and Harlow shared a frown.

"What?" Julie pointed out the window. The two others girls moved their eyes to the direction as Julie explained,

"It's Fulton and Portman." Connie burst out laughing; Harlow's jaw dropped. Two guys – she assumed Fulton and Portman – were clearly dancing to some very loud hair metal music in their room which was exactly across from the girl's. They were jumping all around, banging their heads to music that none of the girls could of course hear. All three girls started to giggle as the guys started head bashing while playing air guitars.

"Are they are on your team too?" Harlow asked around her giggles.

"I almost hate saying this, but yes." Julie laughed. "The shorter one is Fulton Reed. The taller one is Dean Portman."

"They're the Bash Brothers." Connie added.

"I can see why." Harlow giggled.

"Oh I am _so_ giving them grief for this tomorrow." Julie laughed. "I wish I had a camera."

"Tomorrow? Howa' 'bout forever?" Connie joked.

"How are they not hurting themselves?" Harlow asked curiously with a grimace as both Bash Brothers did some particularly deep head bangs.

"They're the Bash Brothers." Julie shrugged as though that it explained it all perfectly. "They live for pain." Harlow shook her head in disbelief before moving away from the window.

"Boys remain aliens to me in so many ways." She declared as she fell backwards onto her bed.

"That's only because you've never dated one. They lose a lot of their mystery after the 2nd or 3rd date." Julie informed her wisely. Harlow turned her head just in time to see Connie nod in agreement.

"I had Guy figured out by the 3rd date. Basically – and I love him so this is all meant in the nicest possible way – he wants to make out all the time." Connie said this nonchalantly, but Harlow could see that her cheeks were tinged with pink.

"That's pretty much all Scooter wants to do." Julie affirmed.

"Who's Scooter?" Harlow asked.

"Her senior boyfriend." Connie replied teasingly in a sing-song voice. Julie grimaced and threw a pillow at her friend.

"Don't say that word." She grumbled. "I don't want to think about him leaving after this year."

"I'm sure it'll all work out."

"Just drop it, okay?" Connie sighed.

"Fine." Bored, she looked around the room. Her eyes landed on Harlow and she broke out suddenly in a grin that instantly made Harlow nervous. "I think our mission this year should be to find Harlow a boyfriend." Harlow groaned.

"Really, that's not necessary."

"Come on! Every girl deserves a high school sweetheart." Connie said this wistfully and with eyes as wide as they could get. Harlow looked to Julie for help, but was chagrined to see that she looked just as excited at the idea as Connie. "It's a shame Charlie's with Linda because you two would make the cutest couple."

"They so would." Julie agreed. "What about Dwayne?" Connie nodded slowly.

"He's a possibility."

"Look guys, I'm sure Dwayne is a nice guy, but I'm really not interested in dating anyone, okay?" Her tone was pleading enough that both girls – reluctantly – agreed to drop the topic. "Thank you."

"I guess we should try and get some sleep." Julie said, already walking over to switch off the light. Harlow slipped under her pale blue comforter and turned onto her side. With the whir of the dorm lights gone, she could just barely make out the 'thump, thump, thump' of the Bash Brother's music. School was going to happen tomorrow whether she got enough sleep or not. Sighing in resignation, she pulled the other half of her pillow over her head and closed her eyes.

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 **Author's Note:** **Slowly but surely progress in the story is being made. Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I figured I owed everyone a quicker update so here you go. Thank you to those who are still reading!  
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Harlow dressed extra carefully that morning because it was her first official day at Eden Hall Academy and she wanted to make a good impression. She figured that her burnt umber suede skirt, white blouse with a long black bow around the neck, and a black blazer was the safest bet. Now if only just decide between the two sets of shoes that she was currently holding in her hands, she'd be golden like Ponyboy.

"Just go with the black ankle boots because I can't watch you lift them to your eyes anymore and resist the urge to grab them and throw them out of the window!" Julie exclaimed in exasperation. Harlow flushed and sent her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. I get indecisive when I'm really nervous."

"Good to know. Come on, we're going to be late." _That_ pushed Harlow into high gear. She forced the black boots onto her feet, zipped them up, and picked up her messenger bag from her bed, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Me too." Connie announced. Julie rolled her eyes.

"I've been ready for ten minutes." She muttered. The three of them left the room and joined with the other girls in the hall as they all moved towards the exit.

"Harlow!" Penny pushed her way over to their small group. Her eyes flickered briefly towards Julie's, but then focused on Harlow.

"What's your first class?" She asked.

"Economics." Penny wrinkled her nose.

"Boo, that sucks. I have World History."

"I have that third period."

"That's when I have Geometry."

"That's my last class."

"Oh no, I hope we have at least one class together." Harlow did a quick run through of her remaining four classes; they were both dismayed to learn that they didn't have any classes together.

"Well at least we have ballet together." Harlow offered. Penny nodded, though she was still pouty.

"True." They left the dorm building and stepped into the morning sun. The quad was full of students socializing before making the final mad dash to class. "World History is across campus so I have to go." Harlow offered her a grim smile.

"Well I guess I'll see you at lunch."

"Great. Bye Harlow!" Penny waved quickly before disappearing into the crowd of students.

"Who's our teacher for Economics again?" Connie asked as the three remaining girls headed across the quad towards the main entrance.

"Mr. Malcolm." Harlow replied, but Connie was distracted by someone calling her name. Harlow glanced around as Connie's name was called again.

"Connie!" Now the person came into view. It was a cute, blonde haired boy. Harlow guessed it was Guy and this was confirmed when Connie introduced him to Harlow. "Nice to meet you." Guy grinned with his arm around Connie's waist. "Welcome to Eden Hall."

"Thanks."

"What's your first class?" Guy inquired of his girlfriend.

"Economics. Harlow has it too."

"So do Averman and Goldberg. I've got World History." Connie grimaced.

"They're going to be after me for help." She explained when she caught Harlow's questioning gaze. "Even though I probably won't get it any better than they do."

"We'll muddle through it together." Harlow promised with a smile just as the first bell rang.

"I'll meet you after class." Guy promised Connie with a quick kiss before jogging off in the opposite direction. Julie said her goodbyes as well, leaving Harlow and Connie to sprint off to Economics before the final bell rang.

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Harlow had a pile of homework by the time lunch rolled around and there were still three more classes to go before the day was over. With a sigh, she fell into a seat next to Penny who was sitting with her boyfriend. There were a couple of other faces that Harlow recognized from years of ballet lessons, but that still left nine other unfamiliar people.

"I can't believe how much homework I have already." Harlow griped, her head falling onto her books.

"Same here."

"I can't wait for ballet later. It'll be a nice break." The table of ballerinas and ballerinos were looking at Penny expectantly and she smacked her forehead as she realized that she had forgotten to introduce Harlow.

"Let me introduce everyone who you don't already know. Okay, let's start with Rick McCoy, Janice Peterson, Amanda Castle, Leonard Parsons, Macy and Lacy Brinks, Kelly Riggins, Leena Howell and Angela Palmer." Each waved in turn as his or her name was called.

"Welcome to our little school." Angela greeted with a wide, semi-fake smile.

"Penny's told us all about you." Kelly added. Harlow glanced at Penny with an eyebrow raised.

"It's all been good." She laughed. "I swear." Harlow smiled and stood.

"I hope so. I'm going to get some food. Watch my stuff for me please."

"Sure!" Weaving her way through the other students, Harlow reached the food line and settled in for the wait. She had just reached the first part of the food counter when an arm snaked around her and grabbed an apple. The obviously male hand flipped the apple up. Harlow had to grab it to keep it from falling to the floor when he tried to catch it again. She turned around to hand the apple to its owner.

"You almost dropped this." She said thinly.

"I'm not a doctor." The guy said to which Harlow frowned.

"What?" He leaned forward slightly.

"An apple a day won't keep me away." Harlow snorted and turned back around. "Okay that was lame, but you can't blame a guy for trying." Harlow concentrated on moving forward in the line and getting her food. "Are you at least going to give me your name?" Harlow shot him a look over her shoulder.

"You didn't even give me yours."

"You give me yours; I'll give you mine." Harlow picked up her tray before replying,

"That's not how it works. The harasser is supposed to give the harassee his name first." She gave him a wide, playful smile. "Enjoy your apple." She couldn't resist putting a little extra sashay into her hips as she walked back to her table.

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French I came after lunch and, thanks to a talkative Averman who had to ask her eight billion questions about Economics, she was the last one into the classroom. There was only one seat left and it was next to the guy who she had talked to earlier in the lunch line. He broke out into a grin and leaned back in his chair as he realized that she was going to have to sit next to him. Adjusting her books, Harlow walked to the desk in the back and took the seat.

"So we meet again, babe."

"Babe?" She repeated. He shrugged.

"You didn't give me your name. What else am I supposed to call you? You don't look like the 'chick' type."

"Fair enough and I'm not." She held out her hand. "Harlow." He shook her hand roughly.

"Dean." He motioned to the guy sitting in front of him. "And that's Fulton."

"The Bash Brothers." Harlow said suddenly. Both Dean and Fulton beamed with pride and a fist bump.

"Alright! Our reputation precedes us!"

"Actually I saw you two dancing through your window last night." The smiles disappeared from their faces. "Connie and Julie told me who you were."

"How can you see through our window?" Fulton asked suspiciously.

"Our room is right across from yours so our windows are lined up almost perfectly."

"Oh." Fulton turned away, clearly embarrassed.

"So you're the ballerina Connie told us about." Dean alleged.

"I am."

"She didn't mention how pretty you were." Harlow flushed, but sent him a frown.

"You're a flirt."

"I am what I am, babe." He replied, leaning back in his chair even further. The angle was too great and the chair promptly tipped over. Fulton guffawed as Harlow giggled behind her hand. The rest of the class was snickering too as Dean scrambled to his feet, but his glare shut them up and turned them back around in their seats.

"Are you alright?" Harlow asked, still giggling quietly.

"He's fine." Fulton answered for him, still grinning at his friend's expense. "He's taken worse dives than that." Dean smacked Fulton who went to smack him back, but the teacher entering the classroom nipped that in the bud.

"Bienvenue à la class française. Je suis Madame Maxwell." When no one said anything, she smiled, shrugged and said, "Ah well, you'll get it soon enough. I said welcome to French class. I'm Mrs. Maxwell." She motioned over to a side table where a bunch of textbooks sat. "Get yourself a text book and we'll get started." Everyone stood to retrieve a textbook. Harlow found herself trailed closely by Dean who in turn had Fulton right behind him. She handed Fulton and Dean their books first.

"You seem to have a knack for things falling out of your grasp." She teased as she placed Dean's book in his hands. "I wouldn't want this to fall on your toe and hurt you." Fulton snorted; Dean elbowed him.

"I'm having an off day." Dean replied as they headed back to their seats.

"Oh yes, I'm sure that's it."

"It is!" Dean insisted.

"Pas plus parler s'il vous plait!" Madame Maxwell called in a sing-song voice. Dean scowled and Harlow turned towards the front. _(No more talking please!)_

When the French class ended, Dean – with Fulton close on his heels – followed Harlow into the hallway. Harlow pretended not to notice.

"You interested in hockey?" Harlow glanced back at him briefly as she sidestepped around a group of cheerleaders.

"I've never seen a game." She replied. It seemed nicer than saying 'not really'. Dean maneuvered himself in front of her – causing Fulton to roll his eyes – and started walking backwards.

"You should come watch us practice some afternoon."

"I can't. It's at the same time that I have ballet." Dean frowned before he slammed into Julie who gave him a little shove.

"Watch where you're walking, Portman." She grumbled before smiling at Harlow. "Hey Harlow. Ready for Geometry?" Harlow shrugged.

"Do I have a choice?" She turned to Dean and Fulton. "See you tomorrow I guess."

"Actually, I have Geometry too." Fulton announced.

"Oh cool." Harlow glanced at Dean. "Looks like you're on your own."

Fulton managed to tell Dean a 'see you at practice' before being dragged into a nearby classroom by both Julie and Harlow. Frustrated at his lack of coolness, Dean pushed his way to his English class.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This one was a bit longer than the last chapter so hopefully that makes y'all happy. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Here is the next installment of** _ **Some Kinda Love**_ **. Thank you to everyone who is reading!**

* * *

By mid-October, Harlow had adjusted completely to life – both academically and socially – at Eden Hall Academy. True, she was busy, what with school, ballet and work, but the constant action suited her. She also enjoyed the freedom from her parents that the boarding school offered. While they weren't overbearing, they had a tendency to be just a smidge overprotective; they also sometimes had the habit of mistaking their opinions for hers. The biggest difference that Harlow noticed was her (admittedly somewhat reluctantly) attraction to Dean Portman. He was her opposite, almost in every possible way. He was loud, aggressive, and spoke without thinking; she was quiet, calm, and thoughtful. Even their sports were opposites: hockey was fast and combative while ballet was serene and graceful. But still, regardless of their differences, Harlow _liked_ Dean. He was, in his own quarrelsome way, charming and Harlow suspected that underneath the bravado there was a sweetheart. Given that she wasn't even two months into the school year, she was a little concerned about how far the infatuation would go. She was at that age where relationships carried new expectations and she wasn't sure how ready she was for that just yet.

"Hey." Harlow glanced up from her seat on the floor where she undoing her soft shoes.

"Hey Fulton." She greeted in surprise. "What are you doing here? Don't you have practice?"

"Yeah," Fulton replied as he slid down next to her on the floor, his eyes lingering on the other ballerinas packing up around them. "But it ended early 'cause Coach Orion had appointment. How was your practice?"

"It went well." Harlow replied. "So what brings you here?" Her eyes darted around looking for Dean and her disappointment at not finding him was obvious to Fulton, even if it wasn't obvious to her. "And without your other half?"

"Actually he's why I'm here." Harlow paused with her flats poised just above her bag.

"Oh really?" She hated how squeaky her voice came out.

"Yeah. Look I don't want to get involved between whatever game you two are playing – I mean I really, really, _really_ don't want to get involved." Harlow snuck a glance at Fulton and he did indeed look really uncomfortable. "But I think you should go to our first game on the 31st." _That_ caught Harlow off guard.

"Really?" Fulton nodded. "Why?"

"Yeah. I know it would mean a lot to him."

"Well, to be honest," Harlow flushed as she played with her bag strap. "I was already toying with the idea of going to watch him play."

"Well you should go." Fulton nodded again. "Yeah."

"Okay, I'll go."

"Good." He stood abruptly, clearly itching to leave. "Hey Fulton?" Cringing ever so slightly, he turned back around to face her.

"Yeah?" He asked cautiously. Harlow, having slipped on her flats, got to her feet, and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Can I ask for a favor?"

"Um, I guess."

"I am not getting this week's Geometry homework at all. You seem to have a knack for it." Harlow tugged on her lower lip. "Could you help me?" Now it was Fulton's turn to be surprised.

"Uh yeah, sure. Maybe you can help me with our French class 'cause all of it's going over my head." They shared a laugh.

"It's a deal." She held out her hand and Fulton shook it before they laughed again. "When do you wanna start?"

"I'm free now." Harlow smiled.

"Me too. I just have to change and get my books."

"Yeah, I need to get my books too."

"Okay, so, meet you in the library in a half hour?" Fulton nodded.

"Okay." Harlow smiled.

"Okay." Fulton left and Harlow waved goodbye to Penny before leaving the studio herself. A light rain was starting to fall so she jogged all the way to her dorm room. Julie was the only one in the room; she was stretched out on her bed, reading _The Great Gatsby_ for English.

"Hey." She greeted when Harlow entered.

"Hey. Connie with Guy?"

"You know it." Julie watched as Harlow pulled out jeans and a blouse. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm meeting Fulton at the library in a half hour to exchange French help for Geometry help."

"I could've helped you."

"I know." Harlow said as she switched her yoga Capri's for her jeans. "But I want to get to know Fulton better."

"If by Fulton you mean Portman then okay." Julie giggled. Harlow blushed.

"Is it really that obvious that I like him?"

"Only if you're paying attention." Julie teased.

"Does Connie know?" Julie shook her head.

"No and I won't tell her. I think you should take your own time; Connie would only rush you."

"Thanks."

"No problem." Julie swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. "So not to be pushy, but when _are_ you going to make a move on Portman? Or let him make a move on you?" Harlow's blush deepened.

"I don't know."

"He's a decent guy, you know, underneath all his 'babe' and 'Bash Brother' stuff."

"I know." Harlow stood up from lacing her sneakers. "I catch glimpses every once and a while." She shouldered her bag and grabbed her French and Geometry stuff. "And just so you know, I do actually want to get to know Fulton better for his own sake. He seems like a sweetheart."

"I know." Julie smiled.

"Alright. See you at dinner."

"Okay. Good luck with Geometry." Harlow tossed her a smile as she headed out the door.

"Thanks, I need it."

~*~BREAK~*~

The library was pretty full when Harlow arrived, but she could tell by the way the majority were hovering near the door that they were just waiting for the rain to stop. She herself had been caught in the downpour only seconds after leaving the dorm. The fringes of her pixie cut were wet and she grimaced at her somewhat sodden appearance when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror near the entrance. Shrugging off her wet jacket and brushing her hair from her forehead, Harlow fixed her appearance as best as she could and set off to find Fulton.

She found Fulton sitting at one of the long tables near the full length side windows. He smiled, somewhat shyly, as she approached.

"Hey Fulton."

"Hey." Harlow removed her books from under her wet bag and placed them on the table before hanging up her coat on her chair.

"Who're _the Velvet Underground_?" Fulton asked, his face scrunched up as he read her t-shirt. Harlow glanced down.

"Oh, they're a band that started in the 60s. They were managed by Andy Warhol." Fulton only looked more confused.

"Who's Andy Warhol?" Harlow giggled with a shake of her head and sat down.

"Never mind." She glanced towards the window. "The rain's really coming down." Fulton nodded.

"Yeah. I'm glad we get here before it started pouring."

"What 'we'? I was halfway here when it started."

"Oh no, Dean and me." Harlow furrowed her brow and tugged at her lower lip as her heart started to beat just a little bit faster.

"Dean's here?" Fulton nodded.

"Yeah."

"Why is he here?"

"He said he needed help with French too." Harlow glanced around, her eyes searching for her crush.

"Where is he?" Fulton shrugged.

"I don't know. What are you having a problem with in Geometry?" Personally, Harlow wanted to ask more questions about Dean, but she refrained. And she really _did_ need help with her math homework.

"Um, well, all of it?" She said, trying to sound more cute than stupid. Fulton chuckled.

"Let's start with the first question on the homework." They both opened up their textbooks and notebooks. "Suppose a water tank in the shape of a right circular cylinder is thirty feet long and eight feet in diameter. How much sheet metal was used in its construction?"

"Who cares?" Harlow muttered. Fulton shrugged.

"I don't, but it's not hard to figure out."

They spent the next half-hour going over the math homework. Harlow was easily frustrated by her lack of understanding, but she found a patient teacher in Fulton who could explain things in a clear and easy manner.

"You know, you'd make a decent math teacher." She said after they finished the last problem. Fulton blushed.

"Thanks." He grumbled.

"I mean it. You're really good at explaining this stuff and you didn't even hit me when I spazzed out over question six." Fulton's blush deepened.

"I wouldn't hit a girl."

"You know what I mean. I really appreciate your help."

"Well now it's your turn."

"Hopefully I'll be as good a teacher." They shared a smile just as Dean fell loudly into the seat next to Harlow.

"Bonjovi." He drawled sarcastically.

"Bonjour." Harlow corrected, flushing at his closeness. Dean shrugged.

"Same thing." Harlow rolled her eyes, but it was Fulton who snapped at Dean,

"If you aren't here to work then go away because I need to concentrate." Dean opened his mouth to retort, but Harlow placed her hand on his arm and said,

"Je pense que tu es mignon." Dean scrunched up his face in confusion. Fulton had a similar look.

"Huh?"

"You need help with French too." Harlow said, sliding her French book towards him since he clearly hadn't brought his.

"Is that what you said?" Harlow shook her head. "Then what'd you say?" Dean pressed.

"Learn French and figure it out." She replied, though secretly she hoped he never figured out that she had said that she thought he was cute.

"Fine." Dean declared firmly, pulling the French book towards him. "I will." Harlow bit back a smile as Fulton rolled his eyes. "I don't even want to learn French."

"Then why did you sign up for it?"

"Because I didn't want to take Spanish either and since Fulton decided _he_ was going to take French, I figured that I mind as well take it with him so at least the class wouldn't suck completely." Dean sent her a flirtatious sideways smirk. "And since you're in the class too, I'm thinking I made the right decision." Harlow blushed and focused her attention intently onto the French book between them.

"What are having the most trouble with Fulton?"

"Uh, counting above twenty and phone numbers." Harlow nodded before glancing at Dean.

"What about you?"

"Dude, it's all Greek to me." He snickered at his own joke before a shuffle under the table lead to him cringing and then glaring at Fulton. "Don't kick me."

"Don't be a jerk." Once again Harlow had to nip the fight in the bud.

"Okay, so let's start with counting and go from there. I can help with the other stuff after we're done." She looked between the two of them. "Does that sound like a plan?" Fulton nodded; Dean briefly bobbed his head. "Okay. Let's get to it."

Dean, despite several loud and aggravated sighs, managed to keep his attention on the work for the next hour which Fulton and Harlow were both grateful for. But work came to a halt for good when the dinner bell sounded. The three teens stood and stretched.

"I hope they aren't having that grey lump of meat they call meatloaf tonight." Dean muttered as they packed up their things. "It tastes like chalk."

"You eat chalk, Dean?" Fulton teased. Dean smacked him upside the head. Harlow rolled her eyes, but smiled. It was clear the two were very close and that the only way they knew how to show their affection for one another was through violence. "Anyway, I think they said that tonight was spaghetti." Dean shrugged.

"Better than meatloaf."

"I'm pretty sure that their meatballs are going to be made out of the same meat concoction as the meatloaf." Harlow pointed out. Dean threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her, somewhat awkwardly since Harlow suddenly stiffened, up against his side.

"Babe, why do you have to bring the mood down?" Harlow's face was bright red as she slipped out from underneath his arm as they stepped outside of the library.

"Just stating a fact." Seeing Penny and the rest of the ballet troupe waving to her, Harlow excused herself and left the Bash Brothers alone. Dean stared after her, perplexed.

"I think she likes me, but then again I could be completely wrong." Fulton shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't get girls." Dean shrugged too and then rushed forward to put Averman in a headlock.

"Give me your lunch money, Howdy Doody!" Averman shrugged him off.

"Do you even know who Howdy Doody is, Portman?" Charlie asked as the Ducks headed into the cafeteria.

"Yeah," Dean replied, "A creepy puppet with red hair that Averman happens to look like." He started to whistle the Howdy Doody theme.

"Shut up Portman!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Reviews and (constructive) criticism are most welcome! Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay, but it was the final week of first semester and I had two major papers and a poster due. First, thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited the story. And, of course, for reading. Here we have the next chapter and I hope that you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **October 31**

Penny had begged off at the last minute, leaving Harlow to attend the hockey game alone, or at least as alone as she could be in a hockey rink filled with her fellow students and teachers. Her nerves still a bit on edge in the unfamiliar setting, Harlow was relieved when she saw Linda, Charlie's girlfriend, waving at her from the bleachers. Harlow weaved her way through the crowd and took the waiting empty seat next to the brunette.

"You looked lost." Linda grinned after they had greeted each other.

"I was." Harlow admitted, also with a grin. "So who are they playing against again?"

"Um, the St. Paul Badgers."

"Okay Badgers vs. Ducks. Awkward animals on ice." Harlow nodded. "Got it. So how many innings are there?" Linda burst into giggles.

"Innings are in baseball." She explained in between giggles. "Hockey has periods."

"Oh." Harlow blushed. "This is my first hockey game ever."

"Well I'm still a bit of a newcomer to the game myself – even though Charlie spent all summer talking my ear off about it – but I can explain the basics. There are three periods that are 20 minutes each. With me so far?" Harlow nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay, good. So in between the 1st and 2nd periods there are two 10 minute intermissions."

"How can there be two intermissions in between?" Linda shrugged.

"Like I said, I'm still learning." Linda turned sideways towards Harlow, tucking her leg underneath her. "If you aren't into hockey, why are you here?" Again Harlow blushed.

"I'm kinda here for Dean."

"Portman?" Linda asked skeptically. Harlow blushed even more deeply as she bobbed her head once, muttering an embarrassed 'yeah'. "So Charlie was right, you _do_ like him." Harlow groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

"Seriously, does _everyone_ know?" Linda shrugged, though Harlow couldn't see it.

"I wouldn't presume to know. Charlie just said that he thought you had a crush on Portman." Music filled the rink and Harlow sat up to focus her attention on the ice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together," Harlow looked around. The crowd had started making noise the moment the rock music had started so asking them to clap seemed redundant, "For your Eden Hall Ducks!" Even though she felt somewhat ridiculous and out of place (after all she was used to ballet recitals with polite clapping, no shouting, and quiet chamber music), Harlow clapped loudly with the rest of the crowd as the Ducks took to the ice. Given his height, Dean was easy to spot in the team. They skated to the box right in front of the bleachers where Harlow and Linda were sitting. Charlie turned around to greet his girlfriend with a wave; he instantly noticed Harlow and nudged Dean. Dean turned around and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was thrilled to see her. Flushing, Harlow gave him a little wave. Dean responded by climbing up and popping his head over the plastic divider.

"What are you doing here?!" He shouted over the music even though they were only a couple feet apart. All around them people were staring. Harlow sunk a little bit in her seat from the attention.

"To see you play." She replied loud enough for him to hear. Dean grinned and opened his mouth to say something else, but the coach (Orion, Harlow would be told later) grabbed the back of his jersey and yanked him down. Several people laughed as Harlow shook her head. Dean just shrugged before slamming his helmet down onto his head. The Badgers were introduced and minutes later, the game was underway.

~*~BREAK~*~

Harlow was surprised to find herself completely transfixed by the hockey game. Only minutes into the game, she found herself jumping up and cheering along with the crowd and even louder than Linda. Admittedly she cringed whenever someone was bashed into the wall (many of which were caused by Dean and/or Fulton) and she wasn't completely sure of all the rules, but she enjoyed herself immensely regardless. The Ducks won 3-1.

Before returning to the locker room, Dean once more jumped up to speak with Harlow.

"Meet me outside the rink in 15 minutes!"

"Okay." Harlow agreed with a quickness that surprised even her. Just like earlier, Dean was pulled down by Coach Orion who sent Harlow a disapproving glare as though she was encouraging the behavior. She mouthed a 'sorry'.

"We can wait together." Linda said as they stood. Given the crowd, it would take them several minutes to make it outside. "So you seemed to enjoy the game." Linda commented as they joined the queue to file out of the rink.

"I did." Harlow confirmed with a nod. "A lot actually. I feel like I've been missing something my whole life." Linda smiled, though it didn't meet her eyes.

"Portman will be happy to hear that. Well, all of them will actually." There was something about Linda's tone that made Harlow look at her.

"You sound less than enthusiastic about that." Linda shrugged.

"Look, I love Charlie, and hockey is fun to watch, but for them it's a lifestyle; for me, well, I'm just there every game because I know it would hurt Charlie if I wasn't."

"Well at least you go to support him. That makes you a pretty decent girlfriend." Linda smiled.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." They were almost outside the rink.

"I heard that your ballet club is going to be performing _Peter Pan_ in December." Harlow nodded. She was _incredibly_ excited about the performance choice because _Peter Pan_ had been her favorite story growing up. Every girl was gunning for either Tinker Bell or Wendy; Harlow herself wanted to play Wendy.

"Yeah. We start auditions next Tuesday."

"What part are you trying out for?"

"Wendy, but I probably won't get it."

"Why not?"

"Penny said that the lead will probably go to Angela because she's a senior."

"Well you never know."

"True. Penny said I should audition for Tinker Bell too because of my pixie cut."

"You should." Harlow shrugged.

"I probably will." They stepped outside and both girls instantly shivered. "It must've dropped like ten degrees."

"I think it did." Linda agreed as they simultaneously pulled their coats more tightly around themselves. "Are you and Portman going to the Halloween dance?"

"I hadn't planned on doing anything with him." Harlow admitted. "I was gonna go to the dance, but now I don't know. Are you and Charlie going?" Linda nodded.

"He's going as Mario from _Super Mario Brothers_ ; I'm going as Annie Hall. Charlie wanted me to go as Princess Peach, but I put my foot down." Harlow giggled.

"I was going to go as Athena."

"Goddess?" Harlow nodded. "Nice."

"Ah well I can always go as Athena next year." The sound of multiple voices approached them and it wasn't long before the troop of Ducks came around the corner of the building. Harlow felt butterflies appear in her stomach as she laid eyes on Dean.

"Great game." Linda exclaimed as they neared. Charlie bowed dramatically.

"Thank you, thank you." Averman clapped dramatically as well, his nose turned up in a snobbish manner. "It was a team effort." Charlie added before wrapping his arm around Linda's shoulders.

"Who's ready to dance?" Russ asked, doing a little spin. Cries of 'yeah!' and woots went around the crowd, save for Dean and Harlow. As the others continued talking excitedly about the Halloween dance, Dean maneuvered himself over in front of Harlow.

"Are you going to the dance?" He asked.

"I was, but now I don't know." At this, Dean grinned.

"You wanna go for a walk? Get a hot chocolate at the shop nearby?" Harlow smiled shyly and nodded as she brushed some hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Dean nodded and turned to the group.

"We'll catch up with you guys later." He announced casually, as though he and Harlow had been an item for awhile. Without waiting for them to acknowledge the statement, Dean put his arm around Harlow's shoulders – whose blush deepened considerably – and started walking away. Their friends watched them disappear with smirks on their faces.

"It's about time." Fulton muttered with an eye roll.

"Maybe she'll calm him down." Connie suggested. Everyone was silent for a moment before saying in sync:

"Nahhhhhh."

~*~BREAK~*~

Since it was Friday night _and_ Halloween, the streets were busy as they strolled towards a nearby coffee shop. They hadn't spoken since leaving the others and Dean still had his arm around Harlow's shoulders. She wasn't entirely unhappy about the contact.

"So did you have a good time at the game?"

"It was awesome!" Harlow exclaimed honestly before launching into all that she had liked about it. Dean watched her with a smitten grin. "I hope that last player you bashed was okay after they led him away." Harlow mused as she chewed at her lip worriedly.

"He'll be fine. I didn't hit him that hard." Dean assured her. "I'm glad you came." Harlow turned her face up to his with a smile; Dean resisted the urge to kiss her. He knew – after harassing Julie for details – that Harlow had never really dated before so he didn't want to move too fast. Normally he wouldn't go for such an innocent girl – he preferred teenage girls with at least some experience – but there was something about Harlow that just drew Dean to her. Really, and he hated to admit it even to himself, she was the first girl that he had ever actually liked as more than just a possible one-time date (or, in the case of Julie and Connie, teammates and friends). All in all, it made it very hard for him not to kiss her. He had never been one for resisting urges; especially of the female kind.

"Dean?" He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Sorry. What?" Dean hadn't even realized that they had stopped walking.

"We're here." He looked up and saw the sign for ' _It's Never Too Latte for Coffee_ '.

"Oh." He removed his arm from around her shoulders. Harlow smiled and thanked him as she entered; Dean followed behind her. They got into the short line, their eyes focused on the order board.

"Wow. I didn't even know there were this many different types of hot chocolate."

"I couldn't believe they had ten different types of hot chocolate when I first came here either."

"Do you take all your dates here?" Harlow teased. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Only a couple." Harlow's jaw dropped. Dean grinned and put his arm back around her shoulders. "I'm kidding. Connie dragged us here." Harlow elbowed him.

"Jerk."

"Babe." Harlow giggled as they moved forward in line. "So what are you getting?"

"I'm torn between the Aztec Hot Chocolate or the Mexican Vanilla Hot Chocolate." Harlow turned her head up to him and once again Dean had to resist kissing her. "What are you getting?"

"Same thing I always get – the Salted Caramel." They moved up to the register. "You ready?" Harlow nodded slowly.

"Think so." Dean waved his hand for her to order first.

"I'll have the Mexican Vanilla Hot Chocolate please." The barista wrote it on the cup while the cashier punched in the price.

"And you sir?"

"Salted Caramel."

"$9.75 please." Harlow started to reach into her pocket, but Dean shook his head.

"I got it." He paid the woman before leading Harlow over to the waiting counter.

"Thank you." Dean shrugged.

"I'm the guy; I'm supposed to pay on the first date." Harlow's cheeks tinged pink again.

"So is this a date?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I don't know. I've never really been on a date before." Realizing how pathetic that sounded, Harlow rushed to add jokingly, "But I've seen them a lot on TV." Dean chuckled as he handed her coffee cup with a 'thank you' nod at the barista.

"Well," He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, "Stick with me and I'll show you the ropes." Harlow smiled into her cup. They headed back towards the school at a leisurely pace. "So now that you've seen me play a game, you need to come watch me practice."

"I wish I could, but I have ballet at the same time that you have practice remember?"

"Damn, that's right." Dean took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Mmm, always hits the spot." He glanced down at Harlow. "How's yours?"

"Delicious. I think it's the best hot chocolate I've ever had." Dean grinned, pleased.

"Told you it was good."

"You did." Harlow admitted. "When's your next game?"

"Next Tuesday at Rochester; against the Rochester Rockets. They're a tough team, but not tough enough." Harlow giggled at his confidence.

"Well while you're bashing the Rockets into walls, I'll be auditioning for Wendy Darling and Tinker Bell." Dean shot her a frown.

"Huh?" Harlow smiled.

"We're putting on a production of _Peter Pan_ and we start auditions for it next Tuesday. Those are the parts I'll be trying out for."

"So Tinker Bell, huh?" Dean asked a few minutes later with a little smirk playing on his lips. Harlow nodded.

"And Wendy."

"I always had a thing for Tinker Bell." Harlow giggled.

"You're kidding."

"I am not. It's that little green dress." Harlow continued to giggle. "I hope you get the part of Tinker Bell."

"But I want the part of Wendy." Dean shrugged.

"I still hope you get the part of Tinker Bell." The school was slowly coming into view. "Julie said you have a job." Harlow nodded.

"I do. At my dad's motorcycle shop slash garage and I'm subbing for a yoga instructor who just gave birth at my mom's gym on the weekends." Dean grinned.

"Yoga and motorcycles, an interesting combination that I completely approve of." Harlow giggled.

"You would."

"I want a motorcycle." Harlow nodded thoughtfully.

"I can see you on a motorcycle." Dean puffed out his chest a bit; Harlow smiled behind her cup. "Hey, what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Well I usually have dinner with my parents, but why?"

"You wanna go bowling?"

"Yeah, sure. That sounds like fun."

"You know it will be."

"Is anyone else going?" Harlow asked, trying to sound casual and un-invested in his answer. In reality, she was hoping that it would just be the two of them.

"Fulton, Goldberg, Averman probably…Charlie is probably doing something boring with Linda…I don't know, maybe Russ." Dean shrugged as best as he could with one of his arms around her shoulders. "Whoever shows up shows up. I don't really care as long as you're – "He sent her a roguish grin with a wink – "there." Harlow flushed and elbowed his gut gently. Dean cringed playfully as he danced away from her towards a trashcan. He made a jump shot and his empty cup landed perfectly in the bin. He did a dance as Harlow approached and threw out her own cup. "We'll take the 6 o'clock bus to the bowling alley. That good for you?"

"Yup." Dean turned towards her, his face screwed up in a strange combination of determination and nervousness. Harlow's heart began to beat faster. She had a feeling that she knew what he was about to do. He took a step towards her. Harlow felt paralyzed by both fear and exhilaration. Dean reached out a hand, placed it on her lower back, and pulled her up against him. Harlow's breath caught in her throat as Dean licked his lips and lowered his face down to hers. Dean knew that he was potentially rushing the situation, but he just couldn't resist kissing her any longer. Just as he was about to press his lips to hers, a loud scream of 'Harlow!' ruined the moment and pulled Harlow's attention away from him. Dean scowled as they both turned and saw Penny rushing towards them. She was in tears. Harlow frowned.

"Penny, what's wrong?"

"Tyler broke up with me!" She exclaimed in a sob before collapsing into Harlow's arms. Harlow glanced up at Dean apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I have to get her back to the dorm." Dean forced an understanding smile onto his face.

"Of course. I'll make sure you get back alright." The walk back to the girl's dormitory was awkward and silent, save for Penny's sobs and sniffles. It wasn't that Dean didn't feel sorry for the girl, because he did, but she had interrupted their date and that aggravated him.

"Thanks for walking us back." Harlow said softly once they reached the doors. "I had a really good time. I'll see you tomorrow." Dean watched them enter the dorm before sighing and turning on his heel.

~*~BREAK~*~

"I didn't know that you liked Portman." Penny said once they were settled in the common room. Harlow's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You have mascara running down your face and _that's_ what you want to talk about?!" Penny giggled around her sniffles. "Well at least you're laughing."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but he's kind of weird." Harlow frowned.

"How am I _not_ supposed to take that the wrong way?" She asked. Penny's tear-stained cheeks flushed, but she didn't answer. Harlow rolled her eyes. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Tyler said that he needs to focus on school and that his grades were slipping because of all the time that we were spending together." Penny explained, clearly glad that the conversation had taken a different turn.

"Well you can't blame him for wanting to focus on his grades, but that really sucks. I'm sorry." Penny nodded, sniffling as a fresh batch of tears started to fall.

"I love him, Harlow. How am I going to bear _not_ being with him?" Harlow was spared from answering by Penny collapsing into her arms in a fresh round of sobs. Harlow made soothing noises and rubbed her back. That was how Julie and Connie found them a few minutes later.

"What's wrong?" Julie asked.

"Like you care!" Penny snapped bitterly as she pulled away abruptly from Harlow and tried to hide evidence of her breakdown. Harlow glared at her in shock.

"Penny!" Julie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I was trying to be nice." She muttered a good night to Connie and Harlow before heading back towards the dorm room.

"I'm going to bed." Penny announced as she stood. "Night Harlow, sorry for ruining your date." Harlow watched as her friend made a mad dash out of the common room. Connie whistled.

"What was _that_ about?"

"Her boyfriend broke up with her." Connie made a sad face.

"That sucks."

"Mhmm." Harlow nodded. But just as quickly as she had made a sad face, Connie was grinning and sitting next to Harlow on the couch.

"So? You and Portman? Details, women, details!" Harlow laughed.

"There's not much to tell, I'm afraid. Penny interrupted it before that happened." Connie groaned.

"Not cool. What did you guys do?"

"He took me to that café? You know, _It's Never Too Latte for Coffee_?" Connie nodded.

"Yup! And?"

"And he bought me a hot chocolate, we talked and walked, and then he was going to kiss me and Penny came running over to us in tears." Harlow ended with a shrug. "And that was it."

"Well, it's a start." Connie smiled. "Did you have a good time?" Harlow nodded.

"I did. We're supposed to go bowling tomorrow night. Will you and Guy come along?"

"Sure! But we can get a bit competitive so sorry in advance!" Harlow laughed.

"Thanks for letting me know." She stood with a stretch and yawn. "I think I'm going to try and get some English reading done before going to bed." Connie also stood.

"Sounds like something I should be doing too."

~*~ BREAK ~*~

Thanks to a test in Economics, Harlow's good mood from the date was a bit deflated as she exited the dorm the next morning.

"Harlow." Harlow- as well as Julie and Connie – spun around in surprise to see Van Feldman, Angela's on-again, off-again boyfriend, leaning up against the brick wall of the dorm building. Seeing that he had her attention, Van jogged over. "Mind if I walk you to class?" Caught off-guard, but not wanting to be rude and really not having an excuse to say no, she replied,

"Sure." As they walked towards the main building, Harlow shared a bewildered look with Connie and Julie, who looked just as surprised as she did.

"You have Economics first, right?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I asked Penny."

"Ah."

"So, I saw you at the hockey game last night. I didn't know you liked hockey."

"I'm a new fan." Connie and Julie excused themselves to give the couple some privacy.

"Portman looked happy to see you. You guys dating or something?" Harlow shrugged because she wasn't sure how to respond to that. Van flashed her a roguish grin, pleased by her lack of a 'yes' response.

"Awesome!" Harlow couldn't help but laugh as his goofy enthusiasm. "You have a really pretty laugh." Harlow flushed and lowered her eyes. He was flirting with her, but she couldn't figure out why. "You want to go out for dinner Sunday night?" Harlow stopped walking abruptly, completely caught off-guard.

"Aren't you dating Angela?" Van shook his head.

"We broke up a couple days ago for good. She has a new boyfriend who's in college and works as an intern for some ballet company." Van shrugged. "He can have her; doesn't matter to me at all. All she does is talk about how she's going to study ballet in France next year. No offense to you, but I am really not interested in ballet." Harlow couldn't stop a small smile from coming over her face.

"No offense taken." They started walking again.

"So, what about Saturday? Are we on for dinner?" Harlow chewed at her lower lip.

"Um…"

"No strings attached. If we have fun, we can do it again; if not…" Van shrugged. "Give me a chance." Shyly, Harlow nodded.

"Okay." Van grinned.

"Great. Are you staying here for the weekend or going home?"

"Going home."

"So I'll pick you up there. What's your address?" The first bell rang. Harlow rushed off her address to him before they parted. She made it into Economics just as the second bell rang. She fell into her seat next to Connie who leaned across the space to demand an explanation about Van. Harlow blushed.

"He asked me out." She whispered back. Connie's jaw dropped.

"Quiet please. And clear everything off your desk. We have a test to take." Despite what the teacher said, Connie leaned across once more.

"You are _so_ telling me what happened as soon as we get out of class."

"Miss Moreau!"

~*~ BREAK ~*~

The minute they left Economics, despite the mind numbing test, Connie grabbed Harlow's elbow and yanked her into the nearby girl's bathroom.

"Spill, now!" She demanded excitedly. Harlow told her everything Van had said before adding,

"I think maybe I should cancel."

"Are you crazy?!" A girl from next to Harlow exclaimed. Harlow blinked in surprise. She hadn't realized that they had gathered an audience. Connie sent her an annoyed look, but echoed her sentiments.

"He's the most popular guy in school." Connie pointed out.

"He's captain of the football team and the star quarterback." Another girl chimed in.

"Plus he's gorgeous." Yet another girl chimed in. Harlow felt hemmed in and was grateful when the bell rang. They all filed out of the bathroom, but Connie refused to let the subject drop.

"Harlow, you _have_ to go out with Van. Why would you cancel?"

"Dean." Harlow pointed out. Connie thought for a moment before waving her hand dismissively.

"You two aren't dating. And besides Portman is great; I love him like a brother, but Van Feldman is, well, Van Feldman. Portman probably won't even care."

~*~ BREAK ~*~

"She told her what?!" Furious, Dean punched the door of his locker. Guy grimaced as the other guys backed away slightly. "Why the hell would she tell her that I wouldn't care?" Guy shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, I guess, well look at your history with girls. You date 'em for awhile before ditching them for someone else. I guess that Connie was worried you might do the same to Harlow and she really likes Harlow. So does Julie."

" _I_ really like Harlow!" Dean snapped. He flushed a bit at the admission which surprised the others in the locker room. "Son of a bitch!" He fell onto the bench and began to lace up his skates furiously. "Tell your girlfriend to stay away from me, Germaine." Cursing again under his breath, Dean stalked out of the locker room.

"He is really pissed." Charlie commented with wide eyes as they watched their teammate slam the door shut.

"Yeah. Man, I wouldn't want to be in Connie's shoes." Goldberg added with a shake of his head. He glanced at Guy who was frowning. "You might wanna give Connie a head's up." A panicked look came over Guy's face as he high-tailed it out of the locker room. Charlie shook his head.

"And here I was thinking that this year was just going to be about hockey."

~*~ BREAK ~*~

Harlow was confronted by an irate Angela as soon as she entered the ballet studio.

"Just who do you think you are?!" She demanded, shoving an accusing finger into Harlow's face. Harlow jerked her head back, but otherwise remained where she was.

"I assume that you're talking about Van."

"Duh."

"He asked me out; I said yes."

"He's my…"

"Ex-boyfriend." Ricky interjected. "You dumped him for Aaron and you can't be surprised that Van moved on, especially not to Harlow." Ricky gave Harlow a once over. "She's cute." Harlow blushed.

"Thanks."

"He's taken." Janice giggled as she slipped her arm through his. Harlow sent her a grin.

"Will you people please focus?" Angela snapped in annoyance.

"Oh Angela," Amanda sighed as she flipped her hair, "Get over it."

"Excu—"

"Alright ladies and gentlemen." Karina, the ballet instructor, interrupted loudly, clapping her hands twice. "Let's get this started." Angela tossed Harlow another harsh glare before moving to her standard position at the front of the barre. Penny sent Harlow an encouraging grin and a thumbs up as they moved into their positions. "And first position."

~*~ BREAK ~*~

Connie was close to tears when Harlow entered their dorm room several hours later. Julie sat on the bed next to her, telling her that it was all going to be alright. Harlow frowned as she closed the door behind her.

"What's going on?"

"Portman's been cursing at everything that can talk since he found out that you're going out to dinner with Van on Saturday." Harlow grimaced.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes." Julie continued. "And when he found out that Connie said you _should_ go out with Van, he decided that she was going to feel his entire wrath."

"Oh my God…Connie, I am _so_ sorry." Harlow sat on the other side of Connie. "I really need to go talk to Dean." She sighed and got back up off the bed. "But first I'm going to call off my date with Van." Connie lurched forward and grabbed her arm. Harlow turned around to look at her.

"Are you crazy?!" She exclaimed. "No! You _can't_ cancel that date! I'll survive anything Portman can throw at me." She rubbed her face. "Besides, he has a short attention span." Connie smiled at Harlow. "See? I'm fine. Forget Portman." She started towards the closet. Harlow glanced at Julie who shrugged. "Let's figure out what you're going to wear on your date with Van."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm sort of in the middle of revamping my initial ideas for this story and would love any input/ideas for you guys, should you have any. Again, sorry for the delay, but hopefully this longer chapter made up for it. Next chapter I get to try my hand at writing bowling. That could go one of two ways, lol. Thanks for reading!**


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